(London) King Charles III officially celebrated his birthday on Saturday, the first as sovereign, celebrated with the traditional military parade which ended with the appearance of the royal family on the balcony of Buckingham and an aerial parade in the London sky.
Organized every year in June, this ceremony publicly marks the birthday of the king, who will turn 75 on November 14 and will then celebrate the event in private.
Just over a month after his coronation, thousands of Britons took advantage of the mild weather to celebrate their new monarch once again.
Charles III, in military clothes, left Buckingham Palace mid-morning on horseback, a first for a monarch since 1986. Queen Elizabeth II, who died last September at the age of 96, no longer appeared in the saddle during this emblematic event of the British royal pomp after this date.
The king was followed in particular by his brother Prince Edward and his sister Princess Anne, as well as his son and heir to the throne William, all three also on horseback and in military dress.
PHOTO HENRY NICHOLLS, FRANCE-PRESSE AGENCY
King Charles III followed by his son and heir to the throne William, his brother Prince Edward and his sister Princess Anne
Queen Camilla, dressed in a military-inspired red ensemble, Princess Kate, all in green, and her three children — George, Charlotte and Louis — followed in a carriage.
Charles III then inspected the troops in Horse Guards Parade Square, then marched back to the palace, where the various regiments saluted the sovereign, still on horseback, as they passed the gates.
The crowd was then able to gather on the famous avenue du Mall in front of Buckingham to see the king, the queen and the other members of the royal family greet the public from the mythical balcony of the palace.
PHOTO TOBY MELVILLE, REUTERS
The Royal Family waves to the crowd from the balcony of Buckingham Palace.
Just before the royal family appeared, 41 cannon shots were fired from Green Park, which adjoins the royal residence.
Decorations and aerial parade
The tradition of this parade called “Trooping the colour” dates back to the reign of George II in 1748 who, although born on October 30, wished to take advantage of good weather to celebrate his birthday.
Some 1,400 soldiers, including the first battalion of the Welsh Guards honored this year, as well as 400 musicians and 200 horses took part in this televised ceremony.
PHOTO ADRIAN DENNIS, AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE
The event has its origins in the preparations for the war, where all the flags were shown to the soldiers so that they recognized them in the confusion of the battles.
A highlight this year, the traditional aerial parade which closes the ceremony, was much larger than usual, to compensate for the cancellation of that planned for the coronation of the king on May 6, disrupted by bad weather.
Once the last planes had passed, the crowd sang the national anthem, while little Prince Louis, accustomed to being noticed on the famous balcony, reproduced a military salute, before returning to the palace in the king’s wake and other members of the royal family.
The celebrations of the king’s birthday are also the occasion, with the New Year, to announce distinctions and decorations of personalities and anonymous people.
This year, this list notably rewards the novelist Martin Amis, who died last month, the director Stephen Frears, the editor-in-chief of vogue Anna Wintour, as well as Junior Frood, an 18-year-old student who became an activist against bullying at school after being bullied.